Working the Cornershttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks
Curtis Pashelka on the San Jose SharksTue, 13 Sep 2016 18:54:26 +0000en-UShourly1Sharks announce schedule/rosters for 2016 Rookie Camphttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/09/13/sharks-announce-schedule-rookie-camp/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/09/13/sharks-announce-schedule-rookie-camp/#commentsTue, 13 Sep 2016 18:54:26 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/?p=12964(Nikolay Goldobin will be one of the players participating in the U50 portion of the Sharks rookie camp that begins Thursday at Sharks Ice.) The Sharks on Tuesday announced the daily schedule for their 2016 Rookie Camp, which will be… Continue Reading →

(Nikolay Goldobin will be one of the players participating in the U50 portion of the Sharks rookie camp that begins Thursday at Sharks Ice.)

The Sharks on Tuesday announced the daily schedule for their 2016 Rookie Camp, which will be held primarily at Sharks Ice at San Jose. Sessions are open to the public.

Here's a roster of the Sharks prospects that will be participating in rookie camp and the Rookie Showcase. They will play two games in Colorado, one vs. the Avalanche rookies on Sept. 17 and one vs. the Anaheim Ducks rookies on Sept. 19.

Here's a roster of the players (mostly from the Barracuda) that will be participating in the U50 portion of Sharks Rookie Camp and not the showcase.

]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/09/13/sharks-announce-schedule-rookie-camp/feed/3722Bay Area News GroupDoug Wilson: Tomas Hertl on track to be ready for regular seasonhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/09/04/doug-wilson-tomas-hertl-on-track-to-ready-for-regular-season/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/09/04/doug-wilson-tomas-hertl-on-track-to-ready-for-regular-season/#commentsSun, 04 Sep 2016 18:42:31 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/?p=12962Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said in a statement Sunday that despite Tomas Hertl’s decision to withdraw from the World Cup of Hockey, the 22-year-old forward remains on track to be ready to go for the start of the regular… Continue Reading →

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said in a statement Sunday that despite Tomas Hertl’s decision to withdraw from the World Cup of Hockey, the 22-year-old forward remains on track to be ready to go for the start of the regular season.

“After speaking with Tomas, we’re pleased that he has chosen to put his commitment to the Sharks and his teammates first,” Wilson said. “I know he’s disappointed to not be able to represent his country but Tomas is on track to be ready for the start of the NHL season and he doesn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that.

“Tomas had a breakthrough season last year, particularly in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and we’re excited to see him build on that progress this coming year.”

Hertl suffered a right knee injury June 1 during Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final after he absorbed a hit from Patric Hornqvist. Surgery was not required, but when Hertl signed his two-year, $6 million bridge contract in late June, he indicated that he did not want to play in the World Cup unless he was at 100 percent.

“I just want to be 100 percent ready for season and I don’t want to go to World Cup at just 80 percent health,” he said June 30.

Hertl has made steady progress from the injury in the last two months and has been skating at Sharks Ice recently. All indications are that he’ll be ready to go once training camp begins Sept. 23. The Sharks begin the regular season Oct. 12 at home against the Los Angeles Kings.

With Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Logan Couture all in the World Cup, the Sharks are going to need a couple other centers for the first 10 days or so of camp before everybody returns. With Hertl now in San Jose instead of Toronto, he could fit the bill nicely, considering there’s a chance he returns to being the Sharks’ third line center at some point this season.

Hertl had 46 points in 81 regular season games in 2015-16 and 11 points in 20 playoff games before his injury.

]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/09/04/doug-wilson-tomas-hertl-on-track-to-ready-for-regular-season/feed/35Sharks' Bob Boughner reportedly to get 'some consideration' for Avalanche jobhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/08/17/sharks-bob-boughner-reportedly-get-consideration-avalanche-coaching-job/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/08/17/sharks-bob-boughner-reportedly-get-consideration-avalanche-coaching-job/#commentsWed, 17 Aug 2016 20:43:33 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/?p=12957Sharks assistant coach Bob Boughner is reportedly among those being considered for the Colorado Avalanche’s vacant head coaching job. Sportsnet’s John Shannon tweeted Tuesday night that Boughner “will get some consideration" for the Colorado opening, which was created after Patrick Roy parted ways with the… Continue Reading →

Sharks assistant coach Bob Boughner is reportedly among those being considered for the Colorado Avalanche’s vacant head coaching job.

Sportsnet’s John Shannon tweeted Tuesday night that Boughner “will get some consideration" for the Colorado opening, which was created after Patrick Roy parted ways with the organization earlier this month as its coach and vice president of hockey operations.

Boughner earned positive reviews in his first season as an assistant under Sharks coach Pete DeBoer. He coached San Jose's penalty kill, worked with the team's defensemen and was given a good deal of credit for Brent Burns’ record-setting season on the blue line.

The Sharks’ penalty kill finished tied for 20th in the NHL at 80.5 percent, a slight improvement over the 78.5 percent kill rate it had in 2014-15. Burns finished the regular season with 75 points, a franchise record for a defenseman, and was a finalist for the Norris Trophy.

Before coming to San Jose, Boughner spent eight seasons as the head coach of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, which won the Memorial Cup in 2009 and 2010.

Prior to running the Spitfires, Boughner, 45, played 630 games in the NHL over 10 seasons. The last 52 games over two seasons came with Colorado, where he was teammates with Joe Sakic, the Avalanche’s executive vice president and general manager.

Matt Nieto, signed to a one-year deal Friday, could be entering a critical season with the Sharks. (photo by Josie Lepe/Bay Area News Group)

The Sharks have reached an agreement with their last remaining restricted free agent, signing forward Matt Nieto to a one-year, one-way contract.

Nieto’s contract, reported by Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports in Montreal, is worth $735,000 and leaves the Sharks with just under $1 million in cap space, according to generalfanager.com.

The Sharks’ three other restricted free agents – forwards Tomas Hertl and Ryan Carpenter and defenseman Dylan DeMelo – had already signed what can be safely viewed as team-friendly contracts.

Instead of asking for a long term deal, Hertl instead agreed to two-year bridge contract in late June that carried a very reasonable AAV of $3 million. DeMelo signed a two-year deal worth a total of $1.3 million, but the first year of the contract is two-way. Carpenter signed a one-year deal Thursday. He will make $600,000 if he stays in the NHL this season, but is also guaranteed $150,000 in the AHL.

All of which leaves the Sharks a bit of breathing room under the cap. There certainly didn't look like there would be much cash left to spend on RFAs after the team signed Mikkel Boedker, David Schlemko, Micheal Haley and Aaron Dell on July 1 .

Nieto, 23, had 17 points in 67 regular season games with the Sharks in 2015-16, averaging 13:10 of ice time per game. For his NHL career, Nieto has 68 points in 205 regular season games. While he may never become a breakout offensive star, Nieto has evolved as a reliable two-way forward that can use speed to help take away time and space from opposing players.

Still, with a handful of prospect forwards making their way up through the Sharks’ system, this figures to be an critical season for Nieto. He will remain a restricted free agent after the 2016-17 season, at which time he could be exposed to the expansion draft.

Nieto had two significant injuries this past year. He suffered a fractured right knuckle in mid-March and missed the last 12 games of the regular season. He also suffered an upper body injury against the Nashville Predators in the second round of the playoffs and missed eight games.

]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/07/15/report-sharks-matt-nieto-signs-one-year-contract-2/feed/192Timo Meier among standouts at Sharks' Prospects Scrimmagehttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/07/12/sharks-prospects-scrimmage/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/07/12/sharks-prospects-scrimmage/#commentsWed, 13 Jul 2016 03:29:57 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/?p=12950(Timo Meier scored three goals at the Sharks' prospects scrimmage Tuesday) One look at a scoresheet after the Sharks' prospects scrimmage Tuesday would have given spectators some indication as to who might legitimately challenge for roster spots with the big… Continue Reading →

One look at a scoresheet after the Sharks' prospects scrimmage Tuesday would have given spectators some indication as to who might legitimately challenge for roster spots with the big club this fall.

Forward Timo Meier scored three times for Team Marchment and defenseman Patrick McNally scored three times for Team Ricci before several hundred fans at Sharks Ice. Team Ricci won 7-6.

Danny O’Regan, Marcus Sorensen, Jake Marchment and Barclay Goodrow were also among the goal scorers Tuesday as the Sharks wrapped up their five-day development camp.

“I think you saw the right guys scoring,” Barracuda coach Roy Sommer said. “Meier’s three, a nice goal by Sorensen early, McNally’s three. Some of the young guys, Marchment and those guys. It was a good pace, and I thought they got a lot out of the camp.”

With the roster’s makeup right now, there will be opportunities for some of these players to make the Sharks out of training camp in the fall. Meier appears to be at the top of the list.

Assuming no changes and Matt Nieto re-signs, there should be at least two openings on the Sharks roster for forwards. Meier is AHL eligible, but has a good shot of taking up one of those spots. He was the best player on the ice Tuesday, left a good impression at camp last fall, already features an NHL-type frame and has a skill set that most other Sharks prospects simply do not have.

"It's still early in the summer," Meier said after the scrimmage. "Just trying to go out there, make a good impression and have fun."

Perhaps I’m alone on this, but I would also tend to think Ryan Carpenter, another RFA that has yet to sign, stands a good chance. The Sharks have a ton of wingers, but could need someone like Carpenter, who played center with the Barracuda most of the 2015-16 season, to fill a void on the fourth line.

A lot could depend on how the Sharks use Tomas Hertl.

If Hertl resumes his role as a left winger on the top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, that could open up a spot for someone to be the fourth line center. Logan Couture would of course be the second line center and Chris Tierney would be on the third line. With Nick Spaling out of the picture, perhaps Carpenter could step into that role.

All big ifs, especially considering Hertl could easily become the third line center, pushing Tierney into a fourth line role.

If the Sharks want another winger, don’t count out Sorensen, who fits the Joonas Donskoi/Melker Karlsson mold.

“I see that opportunity, but it’s a hard league,” Sorensen said. “There are a lot of guys who are battling for a few spots. It’s going to be hard, but those guys (Karlsson and Donskoi) are doing really good. I’m trying to do it the same way.”

McNally, a second year pro, would be a long shot to make the Sharks out of camp.

Right now, there appears to be only one spot available for a defenseman if they keep seven, and it would seem Dylan DeMelo has the inside track toward that spot. But the first year of the two-year contract DeMelo signed Monday is two-way, perhaps leaving the door open for another player on a two-way deal like Mirco Mueller or even McNally, to make the team.

Keep in mind, the Sharks have a handful of players in the World Cup, so these some of the prospects, defensemen included, are going to get an extended look for the first two weeks of camp.

It sure looked like McNally made strides in his game from the time he first put on a Barracuda uniform in the winter.

“You can blame (last season) on us, on him or whatever, but I thought he was the best D in camp,” Sommer said of McNally. “He’s leaving on a good high.”

The most interesting competition of the main training camp could be at goalie, where Mantas Armalis, Aaron Dell and Troy Grosenick will all be in the mix. Armalis allowed two quick goals in the first half of the scrimmage, but settled in after that.

]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/07/12/sharks-prospects-scrimmage/feed/51Bay Area News GroupDylan Gambrell, Noah Gregor to be at Sharks' development camphttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/07/05/12944/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/07/05/12944/#commentsTue, 05 Jul 2016 19:37:13 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/?p=12944Forwards Dylan Gambrell and Noah Gregor are among 47 players that will attend the Sharks’ development camp July 8-12 at Sharks Ice in San Jose. Gambrell, the Sharks’ second round draft pick and Gregor, a fourth round pick, are among… Continue Reading →

Barclay Goodrow will be among the 28 forwards attending the Sharks' development camp this weekend. (photo by Josie Lepe/Bay Area News Group)

Forwards Dylan Gambrell and Noah Gregor are among 47 players that will attend the Sharks’ development camp July 8-12 at Sharks Ice in San Jose. Gambrell, the Sharks’ second round draft pick and Gregor, a fourth round pick, are among a group of 28 forwards that also includes Sharks roster hopefuls Barclay Goodrow, Nikolay Goldobin, Timo Meier and Marcus Sorensen.

The Sharks’ other 2016 draft picks scheduled to attend include forwards Joachim Blichfeld and Manuel Wiederer and defenseman Mark Shoemaker.

Other notable defensemen slated to be in attendance include Julius Bergman, Jeremy Roy and Joakim Ryan. Heading the list of goalies of Mantas Armalis, who, as of now, figures to enter the main camp in a competition with Aaron Dell and Troy Grosenick to be the backup goalie to Martin Jones.

To reiterate, the practice session on July 11 from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. is open to the general public. Seating is limited and is first come, first served. The prospects scrimmage is July 12 at Sharks Ice at Noon. Tickets are limited to Sharks365 members on a first come, first served basis.

Some of the notable development camp invitees:

Yushiroh Hirano -- Invited to the Blackhawks' development camp last year, Hirano became the first Japanese player to play in the USHL. Had a great season with Youngstown with 46 points in 54 games.

Robby Jackson -- Jackson, a native of Alameda, was invited back to the Sharks' development camp after a freshman season at St. Cloud State in which he had 10 goals and 18 points in 37 games.

Jake Marchment -- Nephew of Sharks scout and former NHL defenseman Bryan Marchment, Jake Marchment finished with 45 points, 60 PIM in 60 games with the Erie Otters. Former Los Angeles draft pick had been in Kings camp the past two seasons.

Jermaine Loewen -- Remarkable story. At three years old, Loewen was in an orphanage in Jamaica when he was noticed by a Canadian family. After almost two years, he was officially adopted by Stan and Tara Loewen and brought to Arborg, Manitoba. He started playing competitive hockey when he was 10 and this past season, Loewen, now 18, had 15 points and 96 penalty minutes for the Kamloops Blazers.

]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/07/05/12944/feed/51Bay Area News GroupSharks' Tomas Hertl happy with deal, says he'll be ready for seasonhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/06/30/12934/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/06/30/12934/#commentsThu, 30 Jun 2016 20:46:12 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/?p=12934Tomas Hertl has officially signed his bridge contract with the Sharks that will pay him $6 million over the next two seasons. It won’t be long before Hertl and the Sharks re-enter negotiations for a longer contract that could make… Continue Reading →

Knowing a long term deal is not too far off, Tomas Hertl was pleased to sign a two-year bridge contract with the Sharks. (Photo by Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

Tomas Hertl has officially signed his bridge contract with the Sharks that will pay him $6 million over the next two seasons.

It won’t be long before Hertl and the Sharks re-enter negotiations for a longer contract that could make him one of the highest paid players on the team.

“There’s no doubt he’s going to be a dominant player and there will be a longer term contract in his future,” Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said of Hertl on Thursday via conference call. “But this is how we’ve handled players coming through this system. I can’t say enough how much I appreciate Tomas giving us a bridge contract. That allows us to keep this type of team together as we go through it.”

Bay Area News Group confirmed Hertl will be paid $2.8 million this upcoming season and $3.2 million for the 2017-18 season.

Sharks center Logan Couture signed a two-year, $5.75 million contract before the 2012-13 season and then signed a five-year, $30 million contract before the 2014-15 season.

Hertl could be on the same path considering what his value is as a big-bodied, skilled forward that can play both center and the wing. He grew up playing center, but his best hockey of the 2015-16 season came as a left winger on the Sharks' top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski.

The deal eliminates the possibility of another team bringing an offer sheet to Hertl. The $3 million average annual value of the deal gives Wilson some cap flexibility with free agency starting Friday.

“We’ve had a lot of players come through and do bridge contracts,” Wilson said. “We’ll probably talk about his next contract in the near future, next year or so.

“For him to step up and say ‘Doug, I want to get this done.’ We got it done very quickly. Tomas gets all the credit for that.”

Regarding his desire for a bridge contract right now, Hertl said, “Everybody wants probably longer, but I was ready.

“It’s good for me too. Now I can show my best hockey and show that I can play longer here with Sharks. It’s better to sign a two-year contract and just see for next two years how I play. ... I wanted just two years and after I can sign something longer. But I’m very happy with this new bridge contract.”

Hertl reiterated Wednesday that he won’t need surgery on the right knee that was injured in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hertl is confident that he’ll be ready to play once the regular season begins in mid-October, but wasn’t completely sure he’ll be able to play in the World Cup for the Czech Republic.

“I don’t know now if I can tell if I play World Cup or not,” Hertl said. “Every day I’m just doing something to progress. … I just want to be 100 percent ready for season and I don’t want to go to World Cup at just 80 percent health. I need 100 percent all the time.”

Wilson said talks are continuing with the team's other restricted free agents, which include forwards Matt Nieto and defenseman Dylan DeMelo.

Regarding a note written by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that the Sharks took a run at signing Steven Stamkos, Wilson said, “I’m not aware of that report. I don’t comment on anything with other teams or other team’s players or anything like that. Nothing to be said on that.”

Tomas Hertl reportedly agreed to terms with the Sharks on a two-year, $6 million contract extension. (photo by Josie Lepe/Bay Area News Group)

The Sharks crossed off a major item on their offseason to-do list Wednesday by reportedly agreeing to terms with Tomas Hertl on a two-year contract extension worth $6 million.

TSN’s Bob McKenzie first reported the terms of the deal, which carries an average annual value of $3.0 million.

Hertl was the most prominent of the Sharks’ restricted free agents this season and remains a major part of the Sharks' future. He had 102 points in 200 NHL regular season games through three years. He is coming off a season in which he had a career best 21 goals and 46 points in 81 games.

Hertl had 11 points in 20 playoff games before he suffered a right knee injury in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Up until that point, he had been arguably the Sharks' best forward in the final. But he missed the final four games of the series, which the Sharks lost in six games.

Hertl’s reported deal is through the end of the 2017-18 season, at which time he’ll remain a restricted free agent. With a major part of their offseason business taken care of, the Sharks have roughly $9.1 million left in salary cap space for the 2016-17 season.

The Sharks on Monday had tendered qualifying offers to their three top restricted free agents, including Hertl, allowing the team to retain the rights of the players going into the free agency period that begins Friday. The Sharks also tendered qualifying offers to forward Matt Nieto, defensemen Dylan DeMelo and non-roster forward Ryan Carpenter.

Hertl figured to get a substantial raise from his expiring entry-level deal, which was worth $4.05 million, including bonuses, over three years.

As we noted earlier this week, Hertl’s games played total ranks ninth among all players selected in the 2012 entry draft, and his point total is fourth behind only Montreal’s Alex Galchenyuk (160), Nashville’s Filip Forsberg (133) and Edmonton’s Nail Yakupov (111).

Galchenyuk and Yakupov are both into the final year of their own two-year bridge contracts, while Forsberg on Monday was inked to a six-year, $36 million contract by the Predators.

Galchenyuk had 104 points in his first 193 NHL games from 2012-15. Over that same period, Yakupov had 88 points in 192 games.

Hertl got a slightly richer deal than both players. Galchenyuk’s bridge contract was two years with an annual average value of $2.8 million and Yakupov signed a two-year contract with an AAV of $2.5 million.

A day after the Sharks lost the final to the Penguins, Hertl said his preference was to remain with the team long term.

“I love playing here. Fans, everything, teammates, it’s great and I love it,” Hertl said June 13. “I love to stay longer here.

]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/06/29/tomas-hertl-reportedly-agrees-two-year-6-million-contract-extension/feed/71San Jose Sharks holding development camp July 8-12 at Sharks Icehttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/06/28/timo-meier-marcus-sorensen-among-expected-sharks-development-camp-july-8-12/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2016/06/28/timo-meier-marcus-sorensen-among-expected-sharks-development-camp-july-8-12/#commentsTue, 28 Jun 2016 21:32:37 +0000http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/?p=12927The Sharks will be holding their development camp at Sharks Ice in San Jose from July 8-12. There is one practice session open to the public: July 11 from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Seating is limited and first come, first served.… Continue Reading →

The next few months figure to be big for winger Nikolay Goldobin, who will again have a chance to make the Sharks roster out of training camp this fall. (photo by Josie Lepe/Bay Area News Group)

The Sharks will be holding their development camp at Sharks Ice in San Jose from July 8-12. There is one practice session open to the public: July 11 from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Seating is limited and first come, first served.

The Sharks will hold their prospect scrimmage on July 12 at Sharks Ice at noon.

The Sharks have held their scrimmage at SAP Center in the past, but can’t have it there this year because the building is being occupied by the U.S. Women's Gymnastics Trials. According to the Sharks’ news release, due to limited seating at Sharks Ice, tickets for the prospect scrimmage are limited to Sharks365 members on a first come, first served basis.

A full roster of participants is not available yet, but those expected to be there include Nikolay Goldobin, Timo Meier, Barclay Goodrow, Rourke Chartier, Kevin Labanc, Adam Helewka, Daniel O'Regan, Marcus Sorensen and Mantas Armalis.

No word on if any of the Sharks’ most recent draft picks, including Dylan Gambrell and Noah Gregor, will be at the camp.

A majority of the players in attendance will either be sent back to their junior or college teams, or back the AHL with the Barracuda. However, some of the players will have legitimate chances to make the Sharks roster out of the main training camp in October.

That list will include Meier, Goldobin, Goodrow, Sorensen and possibly even Armalis if the Sharks do not find a backup goalie with NHL experience that they like before the start of the main training camp.

Matt Nieto was one of four players issued qualifying offers by the Sharks on Monday. The others were, as expected, Tomas Hertl, Dylan DeMelo and Ryan Carpenter. (Photo by Josie Lepe/Bay Area News Group)

The Sharks on Monday issued qualifying offers to their three top restricted free agents, including forward Tomas Hertl, allowing the team to retain each players' rights going into Friday's free agency period.

Among the non-roster players that were restricted free agents, only Ryan Carpenter was given a qualifying offer. Goalie Joel Rumpel and forwards Jeremy Morin, Jeremy Langlois, Christopher Crane and Petter Emanuelsson were not tendered offers and become unrestricted free agents.

This past season, Hertl’s base salary was $925,000, Nieto’s was $792,500 and DeMelo’s was $625,000. For players making between $660,001 and $952,380, teams must offer 105 percent of their salary to retain their rights. Those making $660,000 or less must be offered 110 percent of their previous season’s salary.

Hertl, the most prominent of the Sharks’ restricted free agents this season, has 102 points in 200 NHL regular season games. His games played total ranks ninth among all players selected in the 2012 entry draft, and his point total is fourth behind only Montreal’s Alex Galchenyuk (160), Nashville’s Filip Forsberg (133) and Edmonton’s Nail Yakupov (111).

Galchenyuk and Yakupov are both into the final year of two-year bridge contracts, while Forsberg on Monday was inked to a six year, $36 million contract by the Predators.

Galchenyuk had 104 points in his first 193 NHL games from 2012-15. Over that same period, Yakupov had 88 points in 192 games. Galchenyuk’s bridge contract was two years with an annual average value of $2.8 million and Yakupov signed a two-year contract with an AAV of $2.5 million.

Time will tell if those contract numbers have any bearing on the deal that Hertl will sign. It depends, of course, on whether the two sides agree on a bridge contract or on a longer term deal that would potentially eat up a season or two of Hertl’s unrestricted free agency years. With seven years of NHL service, Hertl would become a UFA after the 2019-2020 season.